Bryce Harper — who, for now, is the DH for the Philadelphia Phillies — was named the National League Player of the Week after a monster performance during the team’s West Coast roadtrip.
As USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale noted, Harper slashed .609/.643/1.261 this past week, homering three times and adding six doubles. The Phillies went 5-1 in games that Harper was in the lineup for while playing against the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The production would be staggering for any week, but it seems especially noteworthy when you consider that Harper learned on Thursday that he had a “small” tear in his right UCL, which will prevent him from throwing for at least four weeks. The 29-year-old had a PRP injection Sunday, which caused him to miss the series finale against the Dodgers and has put his status for Tuesday’s game against the San Diego Padres in question.
Even with uncertainty about when — if at all during the 2022 season — Harper will be able to return to right field, the reigning National League MVP is still slashing .305/.361/.634 this year. Harper’s nine home runs are tied for the most in the senior circuit currently, and he also leads all of baseball in runs scored (29), doubles (14) and total bases (83).